Description: This webinar will provide an overview of new research on how natural defenses can reduce coastal risk. Key new findings include: 1) the global costs of storms would double if the top 1 m of coral reefs is lost, 2) coral reefs provide $1.8 billion in annual flood protection benefits to the US alone, and 3) globally, if mangroves are lost, 39% more people would be affected by floods and property damage would increase by US$82 billion. This webinar will also show which countries (and hotspots in countries) have the most to gain in flood protection from reef conservation. We will wrap up by describing our work with the insurance industry and FEMA to show how valuation of risk reduction benefits can be used to finance reef and wetland conservation and restoration at scale. [Please note: This webinar significantly updates a May 2018 EBM Tools Network/OCTO webinar with new results and opportunities for implementation in policy and practice.]

If you would like to check out other upcoming OCTO sponsored webinars, you can find a complete list at https://oct.to/Webinars.

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

Underwater soundscapes reveal differences in marine environments

Researchers recorded base-line sounds in four marine protected areas around the US. These acoustics will be used to determine the future heath in these areas (via Mirage News).

Sometimes we don’t even know what we’ve lost

Knowing an ecosystem's base-line is incredibly important for scientific assessments. Knowing where in the past to find the line is even more. For Canadian salmon populations, a look further back may be needed (via Anthropocene).

Scientists and designers are proposing radical ways to 'refreeze' the Arctic

You know how you fill ice-cube trays with water and then that water becomes ice when put in a freezer? That's basically what these designers are proposing, but with submarines (via CNN Style).

The Southern Resident Killer Whales are dying and at this point, most people know. The main reason is lack of food. Canadian and American officials hope to help that with new protected areas (via Journal of the San Juan Islands).